‘Lunch Menu’ Category

Very simple, very cheap Mexican stew. A family favourite. Serves 4 or more.

Ingredients:

shoulder of pork (you can also use a large hamhock, ‘though, of course it will be considerably saltier and won’t take as long to cook)

3 or 4 large potatoes quartered

half of a large head of white cabbage, quartered

3 large carrots cut into large chunks

4 small ears of corn (as in, 4 half ears)

generous amounts of cumin, oregano (about 2 tablespoons or more of each)

salt, pepper, fresh coriander and slices of lime for garnish

Brown the pork in oil in a large pot on the stove. Cover with water, add the cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and cook at a low heat for 2 to 2.5 hours, adding water if needed. When the meat is tender and separates easily, add the potatoes, cabbage and carrots and cook until tender (about 20 minutes). Add the corn for the last 5 or 10 minutes.

You know those times when you make a sauce and kind of change it everytime? Trying new combinations, quantities, whatever? Sometimes it works better than other times. This was a nice simple version of sticky sweet and spicy chicken wings that I now use exclusively.

Sauce:

1/4 cup ketchup

3-4 tablespoons clear honey

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon Worchester sauce

Tabasco – some amount

Cook over a low heat for 5 – 10 minutes.

Oven cook the wings at 225C in a bit of olive oil until browned, turning once. Drain the oil and dump the wings into a bowl and cover with the sauce, stirring to coat them completely. Cook in the oven another 20 to 30 minutes.

Ooh, yum. My recent trip to the states gave me a taste for some American home cooking. I dragged a couple packets of corn bread mix home and made this easy chili with what I could find in the house.

Ingredients:

500gm beef mince

1 large shallot or half an onion

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 can kidney beans

3 fresh tomatoes, chopped roughly or 1 can chopped plum tomatoes

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon flour

3 tablespoons water

several good shakes Tabasco (I think I did about 10) or chili powder to taste

1 half a tube of tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste

Brown the beef and shallots in the olive oil. Add the kidney beans, pasta sauce and fresh tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Mix the flour, cumin, tabasco and water into a paste and add it to the beef and beans. Cook an hour at low heat, stirring frequently. Longer is even better, when poss. Add more tabasco and salt and pepper as you like!